


Secrets

by littlesolo



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-03-21 22:14:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 15,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3706079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesolo/pseuds/littlesolo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One secret known to very few is that Victoria Hand is still alive after being shot by Ward.  Another not so well kept secret is the feelings Maria and Natasha have for each other and are still figuring out.  Why they have to  do it around her at the outpost station is beyond her (Pepper seems better suited, but then again Pepper thinks it's cute).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Awkward Swap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> body swap with height difference and lots of awkward ensuing clumsyness AU

Victoria first gets introduced to the mess that is Maria and Natasha’s budding relationship when some idiot agent fumbles an 084 and it body swaps the two.

It’s like he’d never seen an agent not actually dead before. With all the times May, Natasha, and Barton had come strolling back after disabling their tracker or crawling out from beneath the rubble, it really shouldn’t surprise anyone.

But here we are.

Well, they are. Victoria has to admit, that for a moment the smile on Maria’s face is childlike and nearly giddy.

“I’m taller!” says Maria- er Natasha in Maria’s body.

“About five inches taller, yes” says Victoria, already making a list of things that this will effect in her head. Authorizations, biometrics, passwords, which missions…

“I need coffee” mutters Maria in Natasha’s body as walks by. She adapts well, hopping onto the counter to reach the mugs that are placed a bit too far back on the shelf, but jumps too hard to get down and hits her head on the cupboard getting down.

Throughout the day Victoria watches two of the most capable women she knows continually hit everything from their foreheads to their elbows on every possible surface. Thankfully, it’s a paperless office otherwise they’d be doomed.

The height of ridiculousness that has Victoria biting down hard on her lip is when Maria has to brief Steve on the status of things and whether or not Phil should be read in on Victoria’s actual state. Except there this strand of hair that keeps getting free and normally, Natasha finds it cute when it frustrates Maria, but being on the receiving end? Not so much.

She gets through the meeting, posing as Maria, with Maria holding a whiteboard behind the camera with points written out that Natasha doesn’t know, otherwise she has been read in on most of it. Between the three of them, it’s unanimous, Coulson is to know nothing unless a face to face is unavoidable in which case Victoria will tell him. At one point, when Natasha is squinting against the glare on the board and talking to Steve, she blames “Natasha helping Victoria with something due to her injury” rather than being unable to read the hastily scrawled writing and Victoria vows at that point to have some sort of revenge.

When the effects wear off Victoria, like the other two, is relieved.

And hits them both with her crutch. Hard.


	2. From Surveillance Footage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "How could you?" "It was a cover" "So you had to kiss steve for a cover? Why? How?" Or The on where Maria finds out about the kiss in The Winter Soldier

Victoria was simply reviewing footage. The more familiar they were with faces on Rumlow’s team, the better.

She’s still healing from her wounds, with Stark’s medical skills and technology, she would eventually be back in the field but for now she does this.

She spots Romanoff and Rogers on the escalator and sees how close they came to being spotted by Rumlow. Very, very close.

“ _ **What the hell is that?!**_ ” says Maria from behind her.

 _Christ_ , she’d never heard her come in. She’d chosen this particular job because no one ever did. She’d also hadn’t expected Maria to pop up at the moment of the kiss.

“A diversion tactic” answers Victoria, flatly. Maria gives her a glare, not amused.

“This is Natasha, she has thousands of tactics up her sleeves” grumbles Maria as she marches towards the door. It’s then that Victoria notices that Maria brought her a pastry and a fresh coffee. She starts munching while she wishes Natasha luck and a good head start.

* * *

Natasha is fiddling with her taser discs when Maria appears in front of her. It’s still up in the air as to who might have gotten shocked, Maria or Natasha, but it had been a close call. Natasha had managed to get her fingers safely around the disc just in time.

“Really? No other distraction came to mind?” asks Maria. 

“What?” She may have caught the taser disc but it doesn’t mean she’s caught up with what’s happening. 

“ _Kissing Steve!_ ” hisses Maria, aware that Clint is about thirty feet away.

Natasha winces. Oh. That.

“His stubble felt like sandpaper. It doesn’t look like it, but it’s there” says Natasha. Honestly, it’s the only thing she can think of to say. It doesn’t do anything to change Maria’s glare though. “That’s all I remember about the kiss!” says Natasha with a shrug. Maria seems to let it go with that and a little smile. One of those small smiles that Natasha doesn’t quite get yet.

That doesn’t mean Clint does.

“You kissed Steve??”

“Shut up.”


	3. Little Ones and Communication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all Phil's fault. He may not have physically been here, but Victoria blames him nonetheless. It's his fault for sending in an 084 with two agents who can barely stand one another because of pettiness. It's life and death out here, who cares about this?! God if they were her subordinates she'd lock them up in a room until they came to their senses, but nope they're Phil's team so children. Now what's happening? Right, 084 knocked into Natasha and Maria, great they're LITTLE. Children. Ugh.

Why? Why in the name of Thor is this happening to her? Victoria doesn’t know but it has to be something more than just karma and bad luck at luck at work here.

The agents, Fitz and Simmons are still standing in the same place they were when Maria and Natasha were transformed, gaping. The two small children have run off and Victoria pulls her phone and speed dials Pepper.

“Pepper, I need you here. There’s an emergency. No, keep it quiet but get here quickly” says Victoria. The two agents have seemingly awoken from their stupor but Victoria’s glare pins them both in place.

“You- you’re alive” sputters Fitz.

“So kind of you to notice. Now both of you sit over on that bench and wait for me. Don’t bother with any communication, I’ve jammed it. Just sit there and _Do Not Move_.” barks Victoria. She can’t even take pleasure in the fact that they tremble slightly as they make their way over to the bench since she still has to find little Maria and Natasha. It’s the closest she’s felt to her old self in a while though. She noticed the blue rubber ball from her desk is missing so at least that’s a place to start.

* * *

The sound of giggling can be heard as well as the bouncing of the ball on the floor of the hallway. Victoria watches for a moment, the two girls finally a similar height and playing happily. It’s Victoria’s training that has her spotting the hidden tell tale marks that someone had hit Maria. There was a bruise creeping out from her the collar of her shirt and looked like it went from her shoulder and down her back. As for Natasha, there was a mark that went all the way around her left wrist, as well as other marks that peeked out every so often when she lunged for the ball. But to look at them right now, they were simply happy children. Victoria hates to interrupt, but Pepper will arrive soon and she had to get back to the agents.

“Anyone for PB&J and pudding?” calls Victoria, and is met with twin answers of “Me!” and Maria holding Natasha’s hand as they follow her back.

She’s making the sandwiches when Maria and Natasha spot Jemma and Leo.

“Did they do something bad?” asks Natasha, with only a hint of an accent detectable and that’s if you’re listening for it.

“Worse, they did something bad and _stupid_ ” mutters Victoria. She then places the plates on the table and the children follow her.

“My name is Victoria. I’ll keep you both safe” starts Victoria when Pepper walks in. "That’s my friend Pepper, and she’s going to keep you safe too.“ Pepper walks over and waives at both little girls who waive back around their sandwiches.

“Maria and Natasha?” asks Pepper quietly, and Victoria nods.

“You’re not gonna eat with us?” asks Maria. Victoria turns and is met with a questioning gaze from both girls.

“You need to eat to get better” says Natasha.

“She’s right you know” says Pepper.

“Now don’t you start…”

“Sit Victoria, let me make you a quick sandwich” says Pepper, already gently leading her to the table by the elbow. With her crutch, she moves a bit slower and is relieved to sit down.  “What about the other two? Sandwiches for them?” calls Pepper.

A dual “Yes please!” is called back and Victoria grumbles. Pepper raises an eyebrow.

“Victoria says they were bad” supplies Maria.

“And stupid” adds Natasha with a grin. Fitz looks like he’s about to say something indignant when he sees Victoria raise an eyebrow at him.

“It is a matter for after lunch” says Victoria. From that point on, discussion revolved around anything the girls wanted to talk about.

* * *

Maria’s shoulder hurt and seeing her friend in pain was making Natasha upset so Pepper was seeing what she could do while Victoria took Fitz and Simmons into a conference room to talk.

“What ever is going on between you two, get over it. Now! End it! Your bickering caused you to mishandle an 084, whose effects were thankfully not deadly, and when you saw the result of the effects, you both froze. I’m getting better but I’m not yet in any condition to chase people down” starts Victoria.

All due respect Agent Hand, a lot of things have happened in your absence” says Jemma.

“Not as much as you might think. Maria and I were the ones who complied Bobbi’s cover. There isn’t time to go into the importance of communication, a basic yet essential element of being an agent whether you’re in the field or not. Or how trauma effects people. I’m not talking about you, agent Fitz, I’m referring agent Simmons, who while you were still unconscious had survivors guilt and was called away on a SHIELD mission only she could do."

"What do you know of any of it. Hartley didn’t know you were alive. It’s why she joined us” grumbles Fitz.

“Fitz!” gasps Jemma at his comment.

“I didn’t wake up until a week after she’d died. Medically induced coma. I still won’t ever forgive Coulson for her death though.”

You had a better plan?” growls Fitz. He’s already had his emotions thrown at him, and blames himself for the mission that led to her death, so the sooner this conversation is over, the better.

“Phil could have called Maria, Pepper, even Barton! Between Natasha and Clint, there was easy access to four quin jets and Pepper is CEO of Stark Industries and could have gotten some form of cloaking technology to your team. And that’s just off the top of my head after a bullet to it. But you’re here to speak to Steve or Nick of need be.” With that Victoria keys up the display and quickly explains to Steve Rogers the situation. While he explains why it’s necessary that Victoria’s status remain unknown even to Phil Coulson and his team, Victoria notices Pepper standing in the doorway.

“He certainly wasn’t pulling any punches, was he?” asks Pepper quietly.

“Well, neither was I since I don’t have the time or desire to give them a week long seminar in communication. Where are the two little ones?” Something about Pepper’s smile should be a warning, but she doesn’t know what.

“They’re waiting for you to tell them a story” answers Pepper with a grin.

Victoria groans.

“Everything all right?” asks Steve from the monitor. It seems he’s been joined by Fury. _Fantastic_.

“Maria and Natasha want a story from Victoria. I offered, but they only want Victoria” explains Pepper as Victoria rests her head against the door frame. She can hear Simmons exclaim how that’s adorable and can vaguely make out both Rogers and Fury hiding grins through her glasses.

“There aren’t any story books here”

“So make one up, agent” counters Nick, with his one eyed glare.

“I know nothing about children. Wait! Nap time.”

"A story should have them out like a light” says Pepper.

“Not their’s, mine-”

“Agent Hand-” starts Fury, and Rogers isn’t even trying to hide that boyish grin of his anymore.

“C’mon, you’re better at this than you think” coaxes Pepper as she opens the door for her again.

* * *

Victoria leaves Pepper with the agents and is met with two eager faces.

“We don’t want a classified story” says Maria as she and Natasha get comfortable in the bunk room. Victoria blinks at that.

“Who taught you that word?”

“Pepper. It was on the folder on your desk and the papers looked boring. We want a _good_ story” says Natasha.

“Course she did” mutters Victoria as she adjusts her glasses. It occurs to her this might be the closest Maria and Natasha might have been to each other without blushing. "Well, too bad. It is classified. It’s about two girls who get into nothing but trouble. Their names are Maria and Natasha” starts Victoria as she makes herself comfortable on another bunk.

“Hey!” cry the two little ones as Victoria sets her crutch against the wall.

“Well, some would call it trouble.  Others would call them adventures-”

“What kinds of adventures?” interjects Natasha, but Maria is looking at her just as eagerly and sitting propped up on her knees.

“Well, you both have to settle down and I’ll tell you.” Victoria continues to tell them highly edited versions of various missions that Maria and Natasha had been on, while making them much less threatening of course. Noticing they’re asleep, she concludes the story with the words “and the rest is classified” and leaves the room as quietly as possible after tucking them in.

* * *

Victoria settles into a chair back at one of the desks and lets out a sigh before she notices that Pepper is still there.

“You think the agents will actually keep their mouths shut?”

“What’s the worst case scenario if they don’t?” questions Pepper, leaning against Maria’s desk.

“Easy. It’ll get someone here or you killed, me killed, or simply get the facility itself blown up. Who knows with how Phil is running things these days. Rogers seems to think that having me work with Maria and Natasha creates some sort of secret brain trust.”

“Well to answer your question, yes I think they’ll stay silent. And you don’t give yourself enough credit when it comes to things, including children.”

Victoria let out a noncommittal sound and let her face rest in her hands for a moment. The reason she could see everything that was wrong with agents Fitz and Simmons so easily was because, despite their fumbling when it came to romantic matters, Maria and Natasha worked very well with each other. Both were sensitive to each other’s pasts and traumas and support each other through them in small ways. Much like they are supporting her through her healing process. Initially, Natasha had started bringing her her favorite danish when she got her muffin from the place where she got her coffee.

“Only until I figure out what Maria’s favorite is. But they have a two for one thing going and I can’t eat to muffins” explained Natasha.

Maria made sure Victoria’s area in the bunk room was comfortable for her without making a fuss about it. Maria stayed often as well in order to stay out of the cameras while she was being moved into Stark Tower. Natasha stayed because she got tired of the boys at the Tower and had appearance to keep.

There was a loud thump from the other room.

“Sounds like the two are awake and back to normal” says Victoria.

From around the corner comes Natasha and Maria, who seems to be rubbing at the back of her head, possibly from falling from the bed.


	4. Squeal of Joy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was Natasha Romanoff, the black widow, magnificent spy, avenger and the deadliest women - scratch that, deadliest person on this earth. She most ceartianly did not squeal.

“What the hell was that?” asks Victoria with a perfectly arched eyebrow.  

“Nothing!” answers Natasha, as she stashes something into her inside jacket pocket.

“Right. You see a mouse? I call him Nero” says Victoria as she goes back to looking over the international operations.

“A mouse? Really? You think a mouse would scare me? Anyway, they’re tickets to an opera performance. A celebration of two things: first, for the time being we’re both through with court, and second, I’m done running. With HYDRA out and about, what ever is left of Red Room is probably coming out too and will be after me, along with anyone with a grudge. Without SHIELD’s protection, I’m a bigger target than I’ve been in a long time but I’m going to stay. I’m done running” explains Natasha, but she seems to be solidifying it for herself as well.

“Well I congratulate you on your decision to stay. I enjoy working with you. Have fun on your celebratory date” says Victoria, and Natasha can tell that she means it. Not everyone likes Victoria, but she does. Victoria gives it to people straight and doesn’t sugar coat it. She, like Maria, is a brilliant tactician and while Natasha sometimes relies on gut instinct, they need people who rely on logic.

Then Victoria’s words hit her.

“Wait, my what?”

“Your celebratory- -”

“Date? It’s not a date. It’s just- -”

“Do not finish that sentence without considering how much you paid for the tickets and the fact that it’s the _opera_.”

“I can’t ask her out on a date!”

“Natasha Romanoff! I will assign it to you as a mission objective if I have to! And if you scalp those tickets I’ll kill you” hisses Victoria.

“Something going on?” asks Maria as she walks over.

“Uh?” stammers Natasha.

Victoria rolls her eyes and excuses herself to the bathroom. Hobbling her way there on her crutch and back should give them enough time. And herself enough time to come up with a way to kill Natasha if she doesn’t get the words out….


	5. Bandages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a hassle, being kept underground because you're still in need of medical care and people will kill you if they knew you were alive. Mostly it's the boredom, but Victoria is anything but bored, not when Natasha's fretting like a teenager over whether Maria likes her or not. Honestly, she wouldn't put it past Natasha to even start plucking petals off flowers "she loves me, she loves me not." Good thing there aren't any flowers.

Victoria was shot three times by Grant Ward. In the leg, chest, and head. Which is why Natasha is helping her tape up her chest. After doing her leg and checking her head, she was too tired to tend to her chest on her own.

“How can you be _sure_ she likes me? I don’t want to look like an idiot” says Natasha as she removes the old bandage.

“Too late we’re having this conversation. Also, as a woman interested in other women, I assume my opinion would have a bit more sway than Barton’s.” Natasha pauses in her cleaning of the wound (which is healing nicely) and Victoria turns to meet her gaze. “Oh for heaven’s sake! I’m not interested in Maria. She’s not my type! For the record, neither are you, just so that’s out of the way.” Natasha resumes her cleaning.

“And what type is that exactly?”

“Perfect for someone else. Honestly, you and Maria are so good for each other it’d be sickening if it wasn’t so rare.”

“There’s someone else out there for you Victoria” says Natasha gently. Izzy’s death had been quite a blow.

“We’ll see. By some twist I’m still here and not dead so who knows.”

Victoria could tell exactly when Natasha began thinking about Maria again. The amount of gauze she was packing on would almost be enough to stop a bullet.

“Natasha. Natasha? _Nat!_ ”

“Huh?”

“I would like to be bandaged, not look like I’ve developed a growth, please.”

“Sorry. Can I ask you a question? Where do I take her on a date?”

“Where do you normally go?”

“Where ever the mission takes me, so usually the hotel restaurant.”

“Well, food is nice. Take out only if your home is suitable for company. Plastic off the furniture and bandages and weapons stowed away” says Victoria with a sigh.

“I know that much, thanks. I mean if you were going to go on a date now…”

“We’d have to go back to her place because I live here or in a hotel suit that Stark has on standby for me should I want to stay some where else. Coulson took care of my affairs and I have no heirs so all of my things are gone. Pepper reclaimed what she could with Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis helping. I think Darcy buying my suits may have thrown people. Anyway, I’m the wrong one to ask. Try Sharon.”

“She’s dating Steve. It involves many carnivals where she has to pretend Clint didn’t teach her how to win rigged games. But a movie night in would work right? I mean, keeps it private and away from the press…” At that point Natasha starts taping the gauze.

It takes Victoria a moment to realize what’s happening.

“Natasha, I swear, if you’re playing ‘she loves me, she loves me not’ with the tape I’m going to hit you.”


	6. Double Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With all her wisdom as Stark's CEO, Pepper should've known the calamity that would befall on the double date. SHIELD agents apparently cause just as much property damage as Iron Man - even though they insist that it wasn't their fault but the bots. Semantics, either way someone needs to pay.

Victoria yanks Natasha away from her lunch in the kitchen area of the outpost bunker.

“Hey!”

“We are going on a double date” growls Hand.

“I thought I wasn’t your type.”

“Not you and me, you moron, you and Maria and me and Pepper” clarifies Victoria.

“You and Pepper?” repeats Natasha with a widening grin. “I wasn’t aware you two were dating. Were you?”

“ _Shut. Up._ Perhaps you’ve forgotten the small fact that you and Maria will be there as well?”

“Oh. Well, whose idea was this?”

“Maria and Pepper’s”

* * *

“Sure! Why not? It’ll be fun! How about it Victoria?” asks Pepper as she comes back from a meeting with Maria.

“Hmm?” Coulson and his team were making waves whether they meant to or not and were making people uneasy and Victoria was doing her best to settle the waters. Going head to head with HYDRA into an alien city with only a handful of agents was bound to be noticed.

“You’d be willing to go on a double date with me along with Maria and Natasha?” asks Pepper. Thrown for a loop, Victoria hadn’t been able to do anything other than nod.

It was well known that Pepper was more or less the mother hen of the Avengers, and Victoria hadn’t wanted to mistake her kindness for something else. Even if there might have been a slight hope, but she was mostly focused on getting back on her feet.

* * *

The night had started well but they’d only gotten as far as appetizers before the trouble started. Thankfully, they’d taken a taxi, so the car the first bot landed on and smashed wasn’t there’s. That’s pretty much where the good news ends though. Nearly the entire outdoor eating area is destroyed. The bistro tables, the large umbrellas, the large potted plants, the cute tiled patio, all of it.

As to who was the target of the the five robot attack, it’s anyones guess. Maria gets Victoria out of there fast afterwards, and Pepper later apologizes to her enough to make her feel somewhat embarrassed.

Maria and Natasha had sprung into action, as had Victoria after moving herself and Pepper for cover. Natasha had grown to like Pepper while she was undercover and taught her how to shoot properly to defend herself (having little faith in Happy should it come down to it). The group makes quick work of the bots.

“What the hell was that?” asks Pepper.

“Hammer? HYDRA? AIM? Take your pick. You did well against the real thing” says Natasha as Maria gets Victoria into a cab.

“Real thing? You had me practice against paper targets! Of people!” argues Pepper.

“And how often are you and Tony attacked by either of those?” counters Natasha.

“Fair point”

* * *

The date winds up being burgers, fries, and shakes back at the bunker. And the first aid kit.

“I refuse to live here forever” says Victoria around a few fries. It would seem any time she left, she was injured. She’d managed to escape most of damage but a few bits of shrapnel had hit her face. She hadn’t even noticed with all the adrenaline and trying move fluidly without causing herself pain, but her leg felt stiff. She’d taken one down though.

That had seemed easy compared to fighting down her blush as Pepper tended to her face. Natasha seemed to be concealing laughter, and Victoria’s glare was the only thing keeping her silent. Still, it was an enjoyable evening, with Maria at ease and in good humor. Lately, everything seemed to be wearing her down, and it was nice to see her in good spirits.

Natasha seemed lighter too, and let Maria steal her fries, something she wouldn’t even let Barton do.

“Did you sort out everything with the restaurant?” asks Maria. Pepper sighs.

“They’re going to come up with an estimate and get back to me. We came up for a fund for this sort of thing after the Expo, but we’re using it more and more” explains Pepper.

The night continues with laughter and eventually ends with Pepper and Natasha heading back to the Tower.

“That went well, didn’t?” asks Maria.

“No one died and the property damage was kept to one business. I’d call it a win” replies Victoria, settling into her bunk.

“You and Pepper make a cute couple” says Maria.

That has Victoria turning slowly to look at her. Maria laughs at the incredulous look on her face.

“I’m serious, you do.”

“We’ll see.”


	7. Relatives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria wasn't aware Maria still had any family left - let alone family left that Natasha needs to meet. Hold on, what do you mean I have to come with you?! Who is it and why are you sweating? Natasha, what has the Black Widow sweating?!

“Natasha will you calm down?” says Maria for possibly the fifth time on their drive. 

“You get that most of my relationships never last very long by design, right?” asks Natasha. There’s a healthy sheen of on her forehead and creeping down her neck. She knows that Maria’s childhood wasn’t happy so she can’t see why Maria would bother introducing her to her Father. But she also knows that whoever else helped raise her, whoever Maria is bringing her to meet, must mean a lot to her. And that’s making her nervous enough to pit out her shirt.

“I still don’t see why _I’m_ here” grumbles Victoria from the backseat. She’s gotten to the point where she only needs a cane on occasion now but has no idea why she’s on this road trip.

“You’re important too, Victoria” says Maria with a quick look at her in the rear view mirror.

“Not to you two”

“Hey!” protests Natasha.

“You two got together just fine without any help from me” says Victoria as she crosses her arms and looks out the window. Natasha turns to look at her but she avoids her gaze. Honestly, she’s simply doesn’t like being left in the dark. She tended to get shot that way. Even though she trusted Maria and Natasha, the feeling didn’t lessen.

“You were noticed and requested. But this isn’t what you think, Victoria.”

* * *

It wasn’t a meeting with Nick Fury. That they could have handled.

No this was a meeting with Peggy Carter. Apparently she was a sort of surrogate parent for Maria. She also remembered Natasha from their run ins during her time at SHIELD. But Peggy Carter was seeing what Natasha’s, not the Black Widow’s, intentions were towards her adopted family member. But in some ways, it was the same. Natasha had no one looking after her, so Peggy was also letting her know that she was also a part of the family now, regardless of what happened between her and Maria. Peggy was lucid at the moment and remembered the young girl she’d met back in the forties. She’d still been lethal, but Peggy had seen glimpses of the girl still there.

“Victoria Hand. I’ve heard a lot about you from both Sharon and Maria” says Peggy. Victoria doesn’t know what to say to that so she remains silent, but looks over at Maria who is holding Natasha’s hand. “You’ve dedicated a lot to SHIELD and continue to do so…” Victoria is listening- sort of. She’s still processing that Peggy Carter is speaking to her. One of the founders of SHIELD. “I suppose you know a lot about these two” says Peggy as she gestures towards Maria and Natasha. Victoria nods.

“Maria and I went to academy together with Sharon.”

“And what are you all doing now?” So Victoria tells her. It all seems surreal. The three of them are sitting and having tea with Peggy Carter. She nearly looses it when Sharon comes in and kisses “Aunt Peggy” on the cheek and hugs Maria (but then again, the two had always been like sisters).

* * *

The car ride back is mostly silent, with everyone processing the visit.

“You could have warned us we were meeting Peggy Carter” grumbles Victoria.

“Aunt Peggy is family-”

“And the former Director of SHIELD!” argues Victoria.

“As well as someone I used to work with!” adds Natasha.

“Okay, first of all, yes, and second, I didn’t know that. But she’s all I had for family besides Sharon and her brother so it was important to me. That goes for you too Victoria!” replies Maria.

“A little warning is still nice.”

“What fun would that have been?”


	8. Past History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha should be used to surprises now, she is a spy afterall, but this? Her past coming back to haunt her like THIS?! First Peggy Carter and now, well she should've seen it coming, it did smash her head in before.

Sharon was just coming to pick up Maria for lunch with Aunt Angie. How was she supposed to know?

Maria wasn’t back yet from her various meetings and Sharon and her Aunt had decided to wait, Angie having gotten clearance back when Peggy ran things, but it wasn’t like things were left out in the open.

Natasha had spared the two a look and given Sharon a waive when they came in but then went back to work.

Angie Martinelli’s mind however, is still as sharp as ever and she recognizes the assassin and wants to know why she’s here.

“Sharon, who’s that?”

“Hmm? Oh, that’s Maria’s girlfriend, Natasha” answers Sharon as she frowns at her phone, her own work intruding.

“No.”

“What?”

That’s as far as Sharon gets because Aunt Angie is already is making her way over to where Natasha is sitting.

“YOU!”

Then it hits her. Natasha knows that voice. _Oh shit_. She darts out of her chair just in time to be avoid being hit with a binder.

* * *

As CEO of Stark Industries and the private contractors behind a lot of the SHIELD/HYDRA clean up, Pepper Potts has been brought in on various SHIELD meetings. She and Victoria are leaving one of the secure conference rooms when they come across the scene. Sharon is standing in between them and Natasha is ducking behind the couch. An elderly woman is chucking anything she can get her hands on at Natasha.

“ _You broke into our house!_ ”

“I didn’t break in!”

“ _Define breaking and entering and tell me how it’s different!_ ”

Victoria and Pepper slowly go back into the room.

There are a few moments of silence before Pepper turns to Victoria.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Victoria tilts her head slightly and waits.  

“Did you do Natasha’s alias and background when she came to work for Stark Industries?”

“No that was entirely Phil Coulson. He even did her portfolio shoot and included items in her wardrobe. He was a bit eager to impress, especially with an asset like Natasha. Ask Maria about the time he put her undercover as a Canadian pop star” answers Victoria as she rubs at her space between her eyebrows. She and Maria had already been friends and that period of time had been spent with Maria constantly calling her to have Phil mentally evaluated or removed as her handler, neither which she could do.

“Are you serious?” asks Pepper leaning forward, grinning. Victoria nods.

“Although if it helps any, Maria had already caught Natasha’s eye. But she did have to get close enough to gauge how sick Stark was getting” supplies Victoria.

“Well, the double date was fun…we should do it again sometime” says Pepper after a moment. Victoria must have been silent for a moment too long. “Or not.”

“No, it was. I just…well for one, I hadn’t realized how long it had been since I’d actually left the grounds of this facility on something other than business. The second being that I didn’t even really remember taking my gun. I certainly wasn’t in the best physical condition….but oddly enough, round out the night with burgers and fries, it was fun.” says Victoria with a smile.

“Maybe we should try again then, without all the guns and robots though” adds Pepper with a smile. There’s a loud bang from the other room and they peek their heads out to see Natasha now hiding behind Maria and Sharon doing her best to gently hold Aunt Angie back.

“You can’t kill her” says Maria in exasperation, her fingers rubbing at her forehead. “She is my girlfriend, not to mention an Avenger.”

“She’s a hooligan who broke into Peg’s and my house!” growls Angie.

“Did not break in, I was meeting Carter!” reiterates Natasha.  

“Coming in through the upstairs window? There are these things called doors that have been around for a long time. You’d think being hit in the side of the head with a vase would knock some sense into you!”

“Is that where this is from?” asks Maria, her fingers brushing a small mark near Natasha’s hairline. Natasha bats her hands away. Pepper and Victoria back into the room again and close the door.

“To answer your question, I wouldn’t mind, but perhaps just the two of us? I have a feeling we may run into less trouble that way” says Victoria carefully, somewhat nervously, in case Pepper was just being kind. But then Pepper took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

“In that case, do you think we can sneak past them for lunch?” says Pepper with a smile.


	9. Happy Hogan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time Happy catches Pepper and Victoria making out in Pepper’s office, he passes out.

The first time Happy catches Pepper and Victoria making out in Pepper’s office, he passes out.

Pepper feels guilty because it was five minutes before she did anything about him (Victoria’s lips were working down her jaw towards her neck and she couldn’t pull herself away).

The problem was that Victoria’s chest wound was taking the longest to heal and even with Pepper’s help she couldn’t move Happy.

So Pepper calls Maria. Since she works there now, means she’s on call in case of emergency. This wasn’t exactly an emergency, but maybe more of a fire hazard? Happy was blocking her doorway.

Maria arrives with Natasha following behind her and Pepper hides her embarrassed blush in Victoria’s shoulder. She hears Natasha laughing. Victoria handles it like it’s nothing.

“No teasing, and help us deal with him, and we’ll be your emergency call” barters Victoria.

“Emergency call?” repeats Maria.

“Next time you need to escape a situation, say a relative throwing objects? Text one of us and we’ll have an ‘emergency’ that must be dealt with” answers Victoria.

“Done” answers Natasha before Maria can even process the offer. Natasha is already dragging the still unconscious man’s feet from the doorway. Maria simply shrugs and does her best to manage his arms. Victoria rubs Pepper’s shoulder and throws her a wink before going to help.

* * *

Happy wakes in the lounge and the telenovelas are blaring on the tv. He was sure he was upstairs! And he saw… but then that also looked like the maid and the second cousin of the limo driver in the series that was currently on… Checking the counter, he spotted a bag of M&Ms. He grabbed it and made himself comfortable to catch the rest of the episode.

* * *

Natasha is slightly grumpy over having pulled her shoulder. Who knew lugging him down five stories….okay that should have been a given but the trade was worth it. Especially from Victoria and Pepper. Their word was better than Clint’s when it came to something like this. Last time he’d “needed” her it was for something like something like sock shopping and she’d had a sort-of-date with Maria. She’d nearly killed him. Right now though, Maria is massaging her shoulder and it’s feeling better. Maybe she should thank her.


	10. Internet Fame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha has just discovered the "Let's Go To The Mall" video and Victoria is /beyond/ done with this shit (she could swear that she did not get shot three times and near fatally wounded in order to watch the world's best female assassin giggling at a computer screen - damn it, Phil)

There is giggling coming from the secure conference room.

Maria comes in from yet another court appearance, more than ready for some hiding out in the bunker when she hears it. She turns towards Victoria who is going through the folders in her out box as if she has a personal grudge against each one.

“What’s Nat doing?” asks Maria from the safety of her desk.

“Upping your view count” answers Victoria, signing her name to another document hard enough to possibly leave an engraving on the desk.

“What are you talking about?”

“Robin Spark-”

“ _ **NO!**_ ” shouts Maria jerking up from her chair. She nearly smashes her face into her desk but braces herself with her hand and dashes towards the conference room door.

“Canadian pop stars can’t exactly be wiped from the internet. You were big” remarks Victoria, flipping through a file. Maria turns towards Victoria and then back towards the room doors that won’t open.

“That was -IT WAS PART OF A MISSION!!” shouts Maria.

“She hasn’t engaged the soundproofing, but the locks, well you know those will hold up against nearly anything. I thought if I heard ‘Let’s Go To The Mall’ one more time I was going to lose my mind, but now it’s just like white noise.”

“ _Victoria!!_ ” whines Maria. She can hear Natasha giggling still. “Next time I see Phil, I’m going to shoot him in the foot.”

“No argument here. I should mention that Steve called in about half an hour ago and Nat had it playing and showed it to him. I assume he’s shown it to the others by now” comments Victoria. Maria is now beating her head on her desk.


	11. Vodquila

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maria should've known that even "vodquila" wouldn't get Natasha even the slightest bit drunk, but she can try.

The bottle had been a ‘gift’ from Sharon, in hopes of moving things along between Maria and Natasha. Maria had needed to wind down anyway, so what the hell. They’d make a night of it in the courtyard area.

* * *

Natasha wasn’t drunk at all. But Maria is a happy and funny drunk and it’s entertaining to say the least.

Unless the subject of work is brought up. Then Maria is crushed almost instantly and Natasha is doing everything in her power to keep her from crying. If she starts crying, it’ll be nearly impossible to get her to stop, as is the case with most drunks, but in terms of Maria Hill, Natasha will do something rash like steal the Hope diamond to try and get her happy again. Thankfully, she changes the subject before any tears can fall.

Maria is a bit of a handsy drunk though. It starts after a few shots with Maria wanting to see if Natasha had any scars on her fingers from learning how to fight with knives. Natasha watches with a bemused expression while Maria carefully (and drunkenly) inspects each finger, squinting at each mark.

“What are the scars on _your_ hands from?” asks Natasha.

“Boxing, knives, a few close scrapes, an my very temporary assistant Patrice slamming my hand in a helicarrier door” answers Maria who is now simply playing with her fingers.

Another few shots in, and Natasha cuts her off since Maria is now sitting in her lap and playing with her hair.

“Was your hair always red?” asks Maria fiddling with a few strands. Natasha feels a bit…. overheated having Maria this close. Maria was sure Natasha was cheating somehow and had decided to put her under close scrutiny in order to figure out how. At the time, Natasha had laughed, knowing it was simply her altered genetics that kept her from getting drunk, but now this seemed a bit too close with how she felt about Maria.

“It uh…was blonde when I was younger and then turned red as I got older” answers Natasha, doing her best to adjust under Maria.

Of all things, giving Maria Hill a piggy back ride down the stairs of the bunker was not something Natasha would have ever picture herself doing. They’d been fine until the stairs. Some part of Maria seemed to know that she was in no state to manage them and had simple sat down and refused to move. Which was why she was giving her a piggy back. Of course, they just had to run into Victoria and Pepper. Thankfully, they didn’t say anything, just stared.

“Not a word” growled Natasha as she passed them on her way towards the bunk room.

It takes all of her will power not to give in to some of Maria’s more interesting ideas and just tuck her in. Natasha isn’t able to escape the kiss that Maria plants on her though and it lingers due to her shock. Then Maria is out like a light.

The next morning, Maria has a killer hangover and doesn’t remember a thing. Natasha is a mixture of grateful and ready to bash her head in.


	12. A Little Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper offered Victoria a job, something to do as Maria skirted around doing whatever she was needed to do.

Victoria is suspicious. Pepper has her sitting in on meetings with her that while they have international elements to them, her presence is hardly essential. The first few she had to be here for, but after getting a message on her phone, suddenly she was necessary here.

But that’s because Maria is dealing with Natasha.

* * *

Natasha can’t be drugged or get drunk. These are both well known facts. but Clint says something went wrong on the last mission and she got hit with some kind of dart that has her a little…off. Maria receives this information in a phone call from him and then hangs up only to find Natasha sitting on the couch across from her in her office.

“How did you get here?” asks Maria. Rhetorically, of course. It’s always rhetorical with Natasha. Natasha remains silent.

“Nat?” asks Maria again as she makes her way over Natasha’s side. To say that she seems out of it would be an understatement. She sends off a text to Pepper.

* * *

“What’s going on Pepper?” asks Victoria with a raised eyebrow when they finally get a break in between meetings.

“I don’t know. I don’t! All I know is that something is up with Nat and Maria is taking care of it” explains Pepper. Victoria looks up and through the glass can make out Maria trying to get Natasha to the elevator. She’s carrying her but Natasha is holding on to one of the pillars in the hallway. It looks like an all out battle. Pepper follows her gaze and her jaw drops. Maria must sense she’s being watched and turns, spotting them.

“Don’t just sit there! Help me get her to Banner!” shouts Maria, only to countered with Natasha yelling “NO!”

* * *

They eventually get to Banner’s lab but when they do, Natasha refuses to let go of Maria. Maria wouldn’t mind, but when Bruce tried to take blood Natasha nearly crawled up the back of her shirt to get away from the needle. Pepper and Victoria had tried to leave to give them some privacy, but it would seem Natasha didn’t want them to leave either. Victoria wouldn’t call it a complete regression but wasn’t sure how else to describe it.

Bruce seemed confident that the effects would wear off in a day at most. Easy for him to say. Pepper gave Maria the rest of the day off, and suggested the museum or zoo. The zoo seemed to be the winning suggestion given the way Natasha’s eye’s lit up. Victoria didn’t even bother to hide her grin.


	13. New Starts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria had been Director of the Hub, now that SHIELD is gone, that title truly died with it. And the many scores of agents she had under her command.

Victoria is thankful to Rogers and Fury assigning her to this small unit with Maria and Natasha, giving her a job and a purpose again. Handling international affairs as well as managing intel from Sharon and assignments and things that Natasha brought back.

The most frustrating thing is not knowing when she lost everything. She remembers that it was Grant Ward that shot her, but before even that, she remembers that there had been only a handful of agents she could trust in her command. A handful that hadn’t been killed by HYDRA or had revealed themselves to be HYDRA.

Some would say she was lucky, having slept through the court proceedings and collapse of SHIELD. Except that had been the collapse of her world just as much as it had been Natasha or Maria’s. And it wasn’t as if she’d been hibernating. Bruce and Tony had been waiting to see if she’d wake up from their best efforts to save her.

Coulson had handled her affairs, having assumed she was dead so she had awoken to find she had no home and few belongings aside from the few that Pepper and Maria had managed to save from being sold off at estate sales. Which isn’t all that usual for everyone. Natasha lives that way by choice.

But Natasha, Maria, and Sharon had already moved on from the wreckage. Maria worked at Stark Industries and Natasha had decided to stay and be an Avenger. Sharon had taken a place at the CIA until she was needed again. Pepper had offered her a job once she was allowed out of the shadows, but Victoria didn’t think that would be any time soon.

Being stuck in the shadows was a sort of limbo. It kept her from being able to move on and contact those she still called friends. The only reason she’d been able to talk to Bobbi was because she and Maria had created her HYDRA cover.

She was grateful for the family of sorts that Maria had included her in. Maria had been all but adopted by Sharon and her family when they were younger and Victoria wasn’t sure where she fit in all that but Maria had made it more or less clear she was a part of it as well. She also cherished whatever was building between herself and Pepper but was hesitant to move too things along, no matter how much she wanted to. Part of it felt too good to be true and the other half was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

But she had Natasha telling her to take advantage of new starts. Coming from anyone else, she’d dismiss the comment, but no one knows of pasts like the Black Widow. She can’t erase the memories of fallen colleagues and people she thought to be friends. The smell of blood, only to realize it was hers, awakening to the sound of beeping machines only to realize she was alive. The visit from Maria and Natasha to tell her what had happened.

To new starts then, with a new family.


	14. Movie Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horror movie night dosen't go according to plan. At all.

Pepper should have known that watching horror movies with the girls wouldn’t be just some ordinary night. She enjoys horror movies, she isn’t terrified of them (who would be after working for Tony all these years?) but enjoys the thrills anyway. But watching movies with the girls is always an experience.

The movies were good. They tried to pick ones that had twists they didn’t see coming and an unexpected ending but with their jobs, that was hard. Other times they watch a slasher just to mock it. Every time Pepper is startled, she squeezes closer to Victoria’s side. It’s not so much the shock, it’s the fact that Natasha wasn’t shocked, Maria missed it, and the only sign Victoria saw it was that she squeezed her hand.

They all ridicule the characters, Victoria picking at what they typically choose for weapons, while Natasha and Maria pick other bits. Like where do the children go? They just disappear unless there needs to be an argument or something unusual that they don’t question or mention.

In all honesty, it’s not the movies that get to Pepper. It’s the others.

“That’s not how someone acts when they’re possessed.”

“Natasha…how do you know that?”

“Just do” answers Natasha with a shrug as she leans into Maria’s side, reaching for another handful of popcorn.

Pepper actually spends the night there after they watch The Babadook. It wasn’t the movie, it was Natasha switching her ringtone to “ _ba ba dook dook dook_ ” that freaked her out.

Anything by John Carpenter or Eli Roth gets watched but any gore porn like the SAW series is skipped due to the fact that gratuitous amounts of bloodshed wrapped in something supposedly clever doesn’t hold their interest. For a clever plot they watch The Game with Michael Douglas even if it’s more of a thriller.

Natasha has a habit of shooting a nerf gun at the screen sometimes. Victoria once asked her why in irritation, and Natasha told her it was as effective as anything the people on the screen were doing. The answer amused Victoria so she lets it continue. Maria tends to love it when people run upstairs instead of towards a door or a window. “Glass wouldn’t stop me if a cannibal or serial killer was after me, that’s all” says Maria.

“If a serial killer was after you, Natasha would have taken him out with a headshot” says Pepper as she nudges Maria with her foot.

“Damn right” mutters Natasha.


	15. Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil comes to discuss business with Victoria

Phil had bullied Bobbi into getting him inside the outpost and was now having a formal meeting with Maria and Victoria. There were a few matters that needed to be cleared up.

“You are both withholding information! Vital information that would be useful now that I’m the Director” says Phil through his false calm. Bobbi waits over by Natasha and Pepper who look on. Melinda and Hunter stand a ways behind Coulson and Skye, Jemma, and Fitz sit behind them.

“You are aware of protocol?” asks Maria as she twirls a pen between her fingers. Years at her touch consoles have her fingers always wanting for something to do.

“What?” asks Phil, thrown briefly.

“Protocol. Much like Fury, Victoria is also presumed to be dead. To come here and demand to be seen is not only a break in protocol but you more than anyone should know better than to bring the rest of your team as well. You were to use the same procedure you would to get in touch with Fury, or perhaps that slipped your mind as you bullied your operative. I suspect it was more her unwillingness to make a scene outside a classified bunker rather than your intimidation that let you in” says Maria.

“As for the matter that you came her to address” starts Victoria, drawing everyone’s gaze to her, “I answer to Fury and Rogers and coordinate with Maria and Pepper. I no longer have any ties to you, direct or otherwise. That being said, should I come across information I feel you should have, I will of course share it with you. As of yet, I have not. I spend most of my time handling international affairs. Such as the repercussions of your going after HYDRA after the UN fiasco. In the future, a bit of tact and discretion go just as far as a show of force” explains Victoria.

“We have a working relationship with General Talbot” retorts Phil as he leans back in chair and crosses his arms.

“In that case, the four Quin jets Natasha and Clint stole during the fall of SHIELD will remain in our hangers.”

“You have additional aircraft!” interjects Hunter. “Just keeping it to look at?”

“On any given day I video conference with officials at the Hague, as well as agents in London, Madrid, Dubai, Tokyo, and Cape Town to only name a few places. Should the need arise for me to make an appearance in person, I will need the means to do so. Should a crisis arise where the Avengers are needed, both Natasha and Maria will need to get where ever they are needed and that may not be the same place. We also have other agents staying here. But that is a separate matter and not under your purview. Nothing that goes on at this facility is. Now have I explained it so that you can understand it?” asks Victoria.

Natasha is smirking and Pepper is getting her glance at Victoria in her former position. She has to admit, it’s a bit of a turn on. Phil fidgets uncomfortably in his seat before getting up to leave.

“Use proper channels next time, Coulson. Bobbi, nice to see you again” says Victoria as the group takes their leave, but not before Bobbi gives her a hug. Once the door closes, Victoria lets out a sigh. “Well, that went better than expected.”

“Fun to watch too” comments Natasha. “I ordered gyros to celebrate”

“Celebrate?”

“Phil’s been letting his position get to his head” says Maria, coming back in with their lunch.

“He’s certainly not the agent I remember” says Pepper, starting in on her.

“Yes, well, let him take him issues to Fury and give him the headache” mutters Victoria.


	16. Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria may work with assassins and agents who can kill in less than five seconds, but they are children. Children who pass notes like it's still elementary school. God she misses the Hub.

Victoria recognizes that this might be a Natasha’s first romantic interest that she’s allowed herself to have and is a bit easier on the assassin because of this. As for Maria though, she’s beginning to question the former second in command’s observation skills.

Natasha has done everything but pull Maria’s hair but Victoria supposes pokes poking a bruise counts as nearly the same thing.

Now granted Natasha’s globe trotting missions were exhausting, they had a bunk room. And while Natasha couldn’t be more obvious by falling asleep against Maria’s side, Maria couldn’t be more oblivious. It was a mixture of politeness as well as due to their close friendship that Maria didn’t move the sleeping assassin. At first Victoria thought it was merely an act, but when Maria has to move and careful adjusts Natasha, the assassin remains asleep, and would have remain asleep in the lounge if Maria hadn’t tucked her into one of the bunks.

The issue was, unless Natasha did something extravagant to get Maria’s attention, like ask her out on a date, she risked Maria always being in the dark to her feelings for her. So for now, Natasha did small things and complained to Victoria as well as asked her for her help.

“C’mon Hand, you know her better than I do” prods Natasha.

“Would you like me to have a sign made? Would you prefer sharpies on poster board or an LED banner?” retorts Victoria.

“Victoria…”

“They are simple words Natasha: _Would you like to go on a date?_ ”

Of course it’s that moment that Maria reenters the room.

“You two going on a date?” asks Maria, glancing up from the stack of files in her hands.

“Merely rehearsing her introduction to her mark” supplies Victoria. Mainly due to the fact that Natasha now looks frozen by the nearly calamitous turn things took. “Trying to get it so she doesn’t sound so much like a spy.”

“How am I supposed to do that exactly?” asks Natasha as she arches an eyebrow.

“With less confidence. Practice by asking Maria. I’m needed on a conference call. Apparently there are a series of inquiries about Phil’s hidden prison cells for gifted individuals.” Natasha shoots her a glare as Maria sets down her things so she can help Natasha prep.


	17. Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria might know a thing or two about SHIELD fraternization rules. Maria's 99% sure Natasha just asked her out on a date.

“I think Natasha just asked me out on a date” says Maria as she takes a seat next to Victoria’s desk.

 _Oh thank heavens_ is Victoria’s first thought.

“So, now what do I do?” asks Maria.

 _Oh Christ_.

“Maria, you have been on dates before, yes?” asks Victoria.  

“Undercover or real life?” asks Maria as she rests her face in her palm. Victoria just gives her a look and Maria sighs. “To be honest, I’ve had more success dating undercover because at least then we got something out of it. I have a history of bad dates and few relationships.”

“But you do like Natasha?” pushes Victoria.

“Well, yeah. She’s smart and interesting….sweet…” starts Maria.

“I don’t need a list, just asking. So what’s the problem? It’s not like I’m going to say it’s against protocol…”

“I don’t know. I guess I just thought I’d get your opinion.”

“Do you think it will effect your work?” asks Victoria pointedly, and suddenly Maria feels like she’s speaking to the Director of the Hub rather than her friend.

“No. Well, no more than working with any of the Avengers or working with Nat has before. You’ve worked with her and Barton before, it never exactly goes smooth but when does it ever?”

“Well, I suppose it won’t compromise either one of you more than it already has” sighs Victoria.

“Hey! It hasn’t-!”

“Before you finish that sentence, need I remind you of the time when Clint and Natasha came back a bloodied mess and she was in need of a transfusion and it took Kevin and Sharon restraining you to get Barton to give us a full report without you harming him? Or the instance where your jet was shot down and Stark and I had to find you as quickly as possible before Romanoff started a bloodbath” interjects Victoria.

“Fine, fine. But SHIELD isn’t exactly built for relationships.”

“True, but this isn’t SHIELD. You work for Stark, which has more flexible hours and you started things when SHIELD was still active. Things should be at least a little easier now.” Maria gives her a look and nods before being pulled away on a call from her cell.

“You can stop lurking now” calls Victoria. There are only a few people who can sense Natasha’s presence: Fury, and Victoria Hand.

“One day you’re going to tell me how you do that, you know” says Natasha as she takes Maria’s vacated seat.

“You have tells.” Natasha narrows her eyes.

“I do not”

“I wager Maria knows a few of them by now as well. I think you two will be good for each other” says Victoria.

“That means a lot coming from you, Vicky-

“Don’t call me Vicky-”

“But did you really have to tell her about me when her jet went down?”

“I didn’t tell her I nearly had Banner Hulk out and sit on you to get you to stay put. Count yourself lucky.”

“Got any restaurant ideas?”

“Ask Pepper. Oh and do me a favor, keep it off the common office space please?”

Aw, you’re no fun, Vic”


	18. There's a Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Code red. There is a child. A child that is left in their care. THey'd rather face a nuclear missile than this.

It’s unclear how the boy, Samuel, came to be in their care exactly. Was he displaced after the events of a mission? An 084? A gifted individual? It didn’t really matter at the moment. What mattered was that they had called it an early night after a busy four days and now it was eleven at night and they had a six year old boy with nightmare problems.

It had started with Sam arriving with Sharon and Cap, his arms tight around Sharon's waist and and a backpack and suitcase being carried by Steve.  Sharon whispered something in his ear and he nodded, still taking everyone's face in, and made his way over to the eating area.  That's where he met Natasha.  The two engaged in a staring contest.  

"You blinked" says Sam in a small voice.  Natasha raises an eyebrow and Sam gives her a tentative smile.  Natasha doesn't know what to do with kids, it's not like she can relate her childhood to theirs.  

"What's your monkey's name?"

"Archie.  Do you fight monsters like Sharon?"  Natasha wasn't sure if he meant monsters in the sense of mean or evil people or some sort of mutant but she'd fought both before.  

"Sometimes."  

And then it was back to awkward silence.  Due to the fact that it was eleven at night, Sam was already in his sleep wear so Natasha figured a bedtime story was due at some point.  Which is what she was attempting to do when Maria came over.  

“Natasha! You can’t tell him that! It’ll give him nightmares!” Natasha gives her a look. 

“I’ve  _revised_  it” 

“ _Nothing_  about that mission is fit for a child’s ears” growls Maria. Sam watches the two and giggles softly as the women glare at each other. Natasha starts another story and Maria makes hot cocoa when she spins around from the kitchen area. “ _Christ!_  You can’t tell him  _that one_  either!”

“You’re no fun, Hill” grumps Natasha as she steals Maria’s cup of cocoa. Victoria walks over with her phone still in her hand.

“Sharon’s trying to find your Mom, Sam so you’ll have to stay with us until then, alright?” explains Victoria and she gets a nod from behind the large mug. Sam had become Sharon’s biggest fan. Cap had been in the fight too, but it had been Sharon who had protected him and carried him to safety and Sharon who was his hero now. It was only because Sharon had told him that Maria and the others were her friends and she trusted them that he had let go of her and agreed to stay. 

“For now though, we should really try and get some sleep” said Victoria.

And that is what set things into motion.

* * *

The bunk room had to be checked for monsters.

Natasha would have rolled her eyes but she was intrigued and watched as Maria and Sam checked under each bunk together and Victoria showed him the security system and how everything was locked down. Both women had a reputation for being cold, but Victoria was gentle, reassuring and patient. Maria, who was usually so irritated by new recruits and senseless tasks, didn’t seem bothered at all despite the fact that there were ten beds in the bunk room and each had a small accompanying locker for personal items and each had to be checked, according to Sam.

Natasha was also curious as to why all this was done when any fear could have been quelled with a glance in the weapons room. The boy’s anxiety was very real, that much Natasha could tell and guessed had been a problem even before the attack. When they finally settled into a bunk, Natasha made herself comfortable in the one next to it. Sam was curled into Maria’s side and when Victoria peeked in she was briefly reminded of the time she’d had to come up with a story for little Maria and Nat.

It was odd, but Natasha found all this soothing in her own way as well.  Her normal night time thoughts were leaving her alone tonight and were replaced by an eagerness to hear what Maria was going to give as a story.  Natasha knew more than most when it came to monsters, both those you could see and those you couldn't.  

“So what kind of story would you like Sam?” asks Maria gently. Sam is gripping his stuffed monkey to his chest and still eying the room.

“I want a……. _Natasha_ story” says Sam after a moment and it makes a grin appear on Nat’s face.

“Nope, but I can tell you stories _about_ Nat, how’s that?” compromises Maria.

“Like what?”

“Wait a minute..” starts Natasha.

“Like she can’t eat a meatball sub like a normal person. She got some all the way back here!” says Maria as she tickles the back of his ear. Sam squirms a bit and laughs but Natasha is pouting.

“That only happened once!”

“Natasha can’t win a stare contest against Victoria… but she can out wit the god of mischief. She can surf through city on alien space craft…” The list continued for a while until Sam stopped searching the room for danger and was resting comfortably against Maria’s side. Then she told him of one of Natasha’s lighter missions. A run through the streets and a car chase back to the jet. Highly revised of course. When she noticed he was asleep, Maria went to get up, only to discover that Sam had quite a grip and that she was stuck. Natasha took advantage of this and pushed her bunk up against hers and snuggled into her other side. She turned to look at Victoria for help but notice the woman was already asleep a few bunks away. So, Maria simply made herself comfortable as the cuddle buddy of both Natasha and Sam and went to sleep.

Which is how Sharon found them the next morning and took a number of photos to remember it by. She emailed them to herself just in case Natasha should get her hands on the phone and think deleting them would get rid of them.


	19. With David Attenborough Narration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A documentary on the Avengers is done, showing their daily live. Natasha and Maria act their normal selves around each other. After its release, paparazzi are following them everywhere trying to gain info about their relationship. The two don't understand what's happening until they watch the documentary themselves and discover what all the Avengers knew, they act like a teenager in love around the other. All of it was organized by Victoria and Pepper, tired of their obliviousness.

Everyone is watching from various points in Stark Tower. Pepper and Victoria are watching from the safety of Pepper’s penthouse away from the tower just in case, having been the ones to set the whole documentary in motion. Yes, it was excellent PR, especially after all of the court hearings and press, but they they had an ulterior motive.

Natasha and Maria watch from separate places as well. Maria watches with Sharon and Kevin at Sharon’s apartment and Natasha watches with Clint and the others in the Tower.

The guys are all featured, and Natasha is seen teasing Steve and fooling around with Clint, and Maria is seen with both Sharon and Kevin but also Pepper and Steve. What draws both Maria and Natasha’s attention though is the stupid segment entitled “women power” or something equally stupid. It features many clips of Maria and Natasha together, moments they don’t remember being filmed. The David Attenborough wannabe continues to narrate the segment where Natasha shoved Maria and Maria gave her a glare while saying something over her shoulder. “ _A rivalry among the ranks?_ ” Hardly. Natasha then attacks again and steals a bit of the nachos that Maria is holding so protectively against her chest and Maria laughs.

Then the camera switches to a segment of Thor. Natasha however is lost in thought. She remembers that day. Seeing herself on camera though…she’d never seen herself so at peace and happy. Happier than she was in the clips with Clint or Steve. That was just fun with the guys. Maria she could talk to about anything and not have it be laughed at or that smothered grin that Steve sometimes got. There were things that she had trouble with. She could identify feelings but figuring out her own emotions was still hard.

There’s a later clip of just the two of them lounging on the roof, chatting. Maria doesn’t remember the camera being there at all. They catch Maria tucking a strand of Natasha’s hair back behind her ear. Clint pops up only to have Natasha shoo him away by throwing coasters at him.

The two hour long special has about five other small moments that feature Maria and Natasha together. Each one had both women thinking. Thankfully, Tony and Bruce had watched from the lab so Natasha was spared Stark’s commentary, but she left at the end before any of the others could comment.

Maria hit the mute button and turned to see that Sharon and Kevin were looking at her.

“What?”

“You should ask her out” says Kevin, and Maria promptly throws a couch pillow at his head. “Hey! What?”

“You two are cute” adds Sharon with a nod, having avoided the pillow even though she was sitting between them. Maria sighed.

“It’s Natasha Romanoff. I can’t just-” and then her phone buzzes.

 **NRoff** : _So if I were to ask you to dinner - a burger thai tacos who knows would you say yes?_

 **MHill** : _Yes. Next date is my treat though_


	20. The Principle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “MY CHIPS WOULDN’T COME OUT THE VENDING MACHINE AND I GOT MAD AND TRIED TO GRAB IT BUT NOW MY HAND’S STUCK AND PLS STOP LAUGHING AT ME THIS IS VERY SERIOUS IM GOING TO CRY”

It’s not a Stark vending machine. That should have been the first hint that things would go wrong.

All she’d wanted was some chips. That’s all. She’d even inserted money. Her _own_ money!

But the machine ate it.

It was the principle of the thing.

Which was why her arm is crammed up through the door in an attempt to reach the chip that were rightfully hers.

She has two fingers almost on the corner of the bag when she hears the beginnings of muffled laughter from behind her. Due to her position, she can’t turn around, but she settles for glaring at them in the glass.

“Can I help you?” growls Natasha.

“I’m not the one who looks like she needs help” says Maria, no longer trying to hide her laughter.

“Stop laughing! The plane had no food and I had no energy to make anything and I just wanted something quick and the stupid machine ate my money and won’t give me my chips! Now help me!” The assassin looks tired and worn down to the point of tears, so Maria relents and goes over to help her.

“Move your arm just a little-”

“OW!”

“Not that way. Okay now twist it towards me… You know you might have to let the bag of chips go”

“No! I already bought them!”

“I’ll buy you another bag!”

“It’s the principle! I want those!”

“Fine! Fine… then move your arm back and let’s figure this out”

Twenty minutes later, Natasha had her chips and her arm free and Maria was putting ice in a bag for the bruise that would be forming there. Natasha offered her a few chips out of her prized bag and Maria looked after her until she collapsed into a bunk shortly afterwards.

Victoria had the machine replaced with a Stark model at Maria’s request.


	21. Past Drinking Buddies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every little girl's hero growing up was Peggy Carter, Pepper is no exception. So when she finds out Natasha knew her - like KNEW her, Pepper may have gotten a little star struck. And also incredulous, there is no way that Peggy Carter and Natasha got drunk in a dive bar and proceeded to fall into a gutter. The part about them kicking all the men's asses, that she can believe in.

“No”

“It’s true”

“No!”

“What’s going on?” asks Maria hesitantly as she walks over to Pepper and Natasha.  Pepper has a look of disbelief and Natasha is suppressing a smirk…sort of.  

“Natasha says she knew Peggy Carter” says Pepper, looking to Maria for confirmation.  

“She does, did… still does but Aunt Peggy has told me stories…” explains Maria.  

“See, told you” boasts Natasha.  

“I believe you both won a bar brawl, that’s not hard to believe at all.  But that you two got drunk together??  For starters, you can’t  _get_  drunk!” argues Pepper. 

“That’s not what Aunt Peggy says…” mutters Maria.  

“Okay, for the record, I drank with Peggy but **_I_ ** didn’t get drunk.  I can handle my absinthe, thank you” says Natasha.  No one else would be able to tell, but Natasha knows Maria’s face from…studying it closely.  She’s hiding something.  “What?”  Maria shrugs and shakes her head.  

“That’s just not what Aunt Angie says.”  

“What does Aunt Angie say?” asks Pepper and Natasha.  

“That the two of you were sick as dogs the next day.  That combined with your injuries, getting tea down you was a challenge” answers Maria.  

Natasha would dispute this further, but she remembers her last meeting with Aunt Angie….


	22. Cereal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You were trying to reach for a box of cereal and a whole shelf’s-worth of cereal boxes fell on you here let me help”

Even Avengers need to eat.  Having stocked up on other essentials, Natasha has made her way to the cereal aisle.  

 _Damn it_.  Why did they have to put her favorite cereal up so high?  Fruit Loops is seen as a kids cereal, but for Natasha it is a comfort food.  Why it has to be on the top shelf though, where no child could ever reach it, is beyond her.  

Having been unable to reach it on her tiptoes or even braced on the edge of the shelves,  she was now resorting to propping herself on the edge on the cart and reaching for the box.  

And then the cart had to roll.  

At least ten boxes fell on her and none of them were her cereal.  

“Um….need a hand?”

 _Maria_.  Granted she is a tall person who can reach her prized Fruit Loops, but just not the person she wanted to have see her covered in cereal boxes.  

“I’m okay” answers Natasha, prompting another two boxes to fall on her head out of spite.  Maria picks up the two boxes and proceeds to put others away.  Natasha blows a strand of hair out of her eyes and gets up to help.  

“Which cereal were you after?  I don’t think Great Grains is exactly your style.”  

“Frulop”

“I’m sorry?”

“ _Fruit.  Loops._ ”  Maria says nothing but sets a box into Natasha’s cart.  “Two please.”  Maria is doing her best to suppress a smirk.  Natasha raises an eyebrow, daring her to say something.  Instead Maria reaches behind her head and grabs a box of Cheerios and then another into her own cart.  

“Why are you here?” asks Natasha as they push their carts down the aisle together.  

“Just because Victoria has to live in the bunker doesn’t mean that she should have to have everything shipped there.  I get her fresh stuff every once and a while” replies Maria with a shrug.  

“I didn’t know they made so many types of trail mix” comments Nat as she eyes Maria’s cart.  

“Me neither.  Shut up.”  


	23. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So maybe seeing Natasha perched on Maria in the kitchen shouldn't be a surprise.

Victoria comes to a stop when she spots Natasha on Maria’s shoulders in the kitchen area.  

“I believe I asked you to keep your relationship off the common areas, Natasha” says Victoria as she helps herself to a bit of creamer for her coffee.  There was no missing Maria’s blush.  She was as red as a stoplight and trying to stammer out a reply.  Natasha saves her from answering.  

“Relax Vic, it’s just that you giants always things up so high…” says Natasha as she sets down her mug of coffee.  Maria starts to bend down so Natasha can jump off, but Natasha flails.  “Wait!  Wait!  I still have to get my cereal!”  Maria sighs and stands straight again, her hands on Natasha’s knees to keep her steady even though she knows Natasha doesn’t need her help.  

Victoria raises an eyebrow but says nothing as Maria, who is dressed for the day in a no wrinkle dress shirt and jacket allows Natasha to fidget on her shoulders still in her sleepwear, her hear still showing signs of bed head.  With her bowl full, she hands it down to Maria who takes it and waits while Natasha puts the box of cereal back on the high shelf rather than one easier to reach.  Looks like this is to become a morning ritual.  Natasha then gracefully flips backwards and heads to the fridge for milk.  Maria sets the bowl down and returns to her yogurt and muffin and Natasha kisses her cheek when she takes the bowl to add the milk.  Maria’s face reddens again but only slightly pink and there’s a bit of a smile.  

Victoria is glad things are going well but makes a mental note to watch for leaping assassins when she’s going about breakfast.  


	24. Cabinets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m in art class and I just opened a cupboard to find a tiny person (you) squished inside and you just looked at and said “shh i’m hiding” Blackhill Au .... tho instead of art class, the helicarrier, or maybe stark tower? idk i will love anything

Maria sighs as she goes over more paper work.  The work load of Stark Industries and Avengers matters is sometimes enough to give her a migraine.  

At least she’s in her office at the bunker.  Her office at SI is currently crawling with various armed forces personnel with demands that they have no right to make of her and have her fingers itching for her gun.  

Deciding to switch topics for a bit, Maria decides to work on that SI draft proposal she’s been meaning to get to.  Rolling in her office chair to the cabinets behind her desk, she opens one to get a fresh legal pad.  

Instead she finds an assassin stuffed inside.  

They sit there and blink at each other for a few seconds.  Natasha has crammed herself in among the few supplies that Maria had placed there, but the cabinet had been largely empty.  Still, the fit couldn’t possibly be comfortable.  

“What are you doing?”

“Hiding” whispers Natasha.  Maria rubs at her forehead.  

“From?” 

“Vic.  You know how we went to see that awesome exhibit on our date?”  Maria’s face softens as she nods.  In all honesty, Natasha hadn’t expected to enjoy herself as much as she had, but it had been interesting and Maria’s enthusiasm made it fun too.  “Yeah, well I forgot Clint had wanted to see it too.”  

“How does that get you in my supplies cabinet?”

“You remember how I promised Vic to keep our relationship off the common areas??”

“Nat–” sighs Maria in exasperation, growing tired of the guessing game.  

“Clint came and xeroxed his butt in retaliation for not going with him!  And there’s no way I’m explaining to Vic that it’s not my butt that there are thirty copies of taped up in the copy room!  Who even makes copies anymore??  You just scan things and email them!” explains Natasha.  

“You’d rather he’d defiled the scanner?” asks Maria.  

“Not helping!”  

They’re interrupted by a knock on Maria’s door and Natasha ands her a pad and Maria presses the doors shut before moving behind her desk again.  

“Come in.”  Victoria enters and immediately glances at the cabinet and raises an eyebrow.  

“Have you seen Romanoff?”  

“Is this concerning the copy room?”  Victoria nods and crosses her arms.  

“I just want to know if she let the idiot in or if this is his own fun”

“His own” confirms Maria.  Victoria nods.  

“Well, he’s just won two weeks of body guard duty in the sand.  Of Tunisia” remarks Victoria before she leaves.  

There’s a good two minutes before Natasha comes out of the cabinets, still cautiously.  

“What?  Did you think she was going to do an inspection?” asks Maria with a grin.  

“No, but I never know what to expect from her.”


	25. Omen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> black hill " i think i may have stolen your dog on accident" au. make that a cat.

Natasha isn’t concerned.  She isn’t.  The cat just probably got smart, that’s all.  

Liho is missing.  

Little does she know, a black cat has been following Maria everywhere.  

The black cat had appeared one day and was relentless.  

She followed Maria into SI and home to her apartment, despite Maria’s attempts to get rid of the creature by using taxis.  Somehow, it tracked her down.   

Pepper wouldn’t have a problem with the creature, but the fact that she hisses at Tony when he comes to pester Maria makes her grin.  It would seem she now has a furry protector.  

Natasha is finally introduced to the feline at the bunker when she follows Maria there as well.  

“That’s my cat” says Natasha as she watches Liho trail after Maria.  

“Did you instruct her to stalk me?”  

“What?”  

“She’s been following me everywhere for the past three days!  To my apartment, to SI, here!”  

“Liho!  What are you up to?” asks Natasha, and the cat turns and looks at her and then blinks before turning to follow Maria to be fed.  “She’s not exactly my cat… she just stays with me sometimes” explains Natasha as she leans in the doorway.  

“But you named her” counters Maria

“Well I had to call her something”

“Named her after a bad omen?”

“She’s a  _black cat_.  They are seen as bad omens.  It just seemed fitting that her name matched” answered Nat with a shrug.  Having been fed, Liho then makes her way over to Natasha and hops in her lap.  Natasha scratches behind her ears and Liho purrs into her touch.  Maria watches and smiles.  

“If Liho has her way, it looks like we’ll be sharing her” comments Maria.  

Liho purrs even louder at that.  


	26. Baby Steps Towards Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its "bring your baby photos to work" day, but natasha has no baby photos. she is good at hiding how left out she feels but maria can tell, so maria gets together with barton (and whoever else) and they use their skills of an artist to draw "nat as a baby" pics, presenting them to her in an album. nat isn't going to cry, honest.

It had started as Steve’s idea.  Maria guesses it hadn’t occurred to him that not everyone had baby pictures.  

Maria had only pictures of herself from school and those put her at around age five.  Clint had a few from his carnival days, but Natasha didn’t really have any other than recent candids or the photos in her file.  

It’s Clint’s idea for them to try and cheer Nat up by drawing Nat as a baby.  To everyone else Nat seems fine, but Clint and Maria know better.  She’s feeling awkward and a bit left out.  Childhood doesn’t have fond memories for her (something that Steve forgot holds true for lots of them) and while well intentioned, wasn’t very well thought out.  

In the conference room, with all the colored pens they could scrounge up, Clint and Maria try their best to draw a baby Natasha.  Maria draws a little Natasha playing in a sandbox.  

“Dude, focus.  Why are you drawing a poop in a litter box?” asks Clint.  

Maria breaks his nose.  

* * *

Their efforts are interrupted by Pepper.  Apparently, Tony had been well intentioned as well, and had only meant to turn Natasha into a baby long enough to snap a photo but the effects seemed to be…prolonged.  Maria and Clint enter to see Sharon cooing to a sniffing baby Natasha.  She recognizes Clint and reaches for him and Maria lingers in the background.  Bruce had snapped a photo while Sharon was holding her and passes the camera to Sharon.  Little Natasha is passed around to each everyone.  She likes playing with Thor’s hair, and tries to pull off Tony’s beard.  She lets Pepper play with her toes and Clint plays peek a boo and makes her laugh.  Steve does his best, but Natasha seems determined to gnaw on something and she wants it to be his thumb.  She plays with Victoria’s fingers, but doesn’t try to eat or even nibble any of them.  With Bruce, Nat tries to hide behind his curls when he sets her on his shoulders.  When she’s handed to Maria, Natasha immediately places her tiny hands on Maria’s cheeks and smiles.  Maria can’t help but smile back.  Sam is playing with her on the floor when she changes back.  

“Aw man, and I was winning too” says Sam.  

“I’m sure you two can play again later” laughs Pepper.  

“Yeah but then I won’t win” answers Sam as he rolls on his back.  

* * *

Natasha is disappointed to hear that Maria had been called away, but Bruce hands her the photos that he and Sharon took and Natasha gets a real look at her family.  For some reason, she’d needed to be turned into a baby to see it, but it had always been there.  The boys were like her brothers and Pepper had become somewhat of a big sister that she went to whenever she needed help with something ever since she was undercover at Stark Industries.  Sharon was like Maria’s sister and the two of them came like a set, but she liked Sharon anyway.  Maria was different.  The feelings she had for Maria were far from platonic and they were working on it together.  She’s not crying.  Well, they’re not sad tears at least.  

Natasha picks up the picture Clint drew for her and smiles.  He really was a goofball.  Then she finds the one of her in a sand box.  Why hadn’t Maria given it to her?  Oh well, it’s going to go on the fridge in the bunker for at least a week before she hangs it in her locker.  


	27. Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maria needs a better lock on her office, better yet a whole new security system.

Because if she had a better security system, maybe she wouldn’t be in this position.  Oh hell, Natasha would find a way around that too.  

Right now, Maria is in an SUV with Natasha driving and Victoria and Pepper sitting on either side of her.  Behind her sits Jane, Darcy, and Wanda.  

“Mppff!”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” asks Wanda from behind her.  

“Wanda, it’s her birthday.  And we’re all her friends and family but she’d spend it behind her desk working if she had her way” explains Pepper.  Maria finally gets the cloth free from her mouth.  

“I hate all of you”  

“Quit complaining or you won’t get any cake” says Natasha as she pulls into a luxury hotel.  

“Is the gun necessary?” asks Maria.  

“Hey, lady!  With the way we’re spending your birthday, I have a feeling we’ll need it at least once” answers Darcy as she pats her taser.  

After checking into their rooms, they meet in the hallway.  

“Rules-” starts Pepper.  

“Awww” gripe Darcy and Natasha.  

“Rules!  No powers and no huge or flashy streaks!  Then we meet at the pool afterwards.  It’s been reserved for us and has the cake there” explains Pepper.  That’s when Maria notices that she’s handing out two hundred dollars in chips.  They’re hitting a casino.  Two hundred is more than enough.  Hell, Maria and Nat hadn’t been to one since Fury banned them and Melinda from Vegas….

Oh this was going to be fun.  

* * *

Seeing as how the three of them were sharing a room, Jane and Darcy stuck close to Wanda and taught her how to play the games without her powers.  Had she been alone, Jane might have been suspected of card counting, but with Darcy cheering her and giving the stink eye to all the other players it was all Jane could do to focus.  

Darcy came out big on slots.  Natasha wanted to know how but Darcy said she had a magic combination.  

“It’s luck!  There’s no skill in slots!” argues Natasha.  Pepper holds off laughing long enough to move the two on once Darcy gets her winnings.  While Victoria and Nat make their way to the poker tables, Maria and Pepper hit blackjack.  

Eventually, Pepper sends out a message that they should cut off at about ten thousand so that they don’t draw any attention, which had Darcy giddy since she’s already at fifteen.  

At the pool, everyone is happy enough letting their legs dangle in the pool while they relax with drinks and cake.  

“Doesn’t the Tower have a pool?” asks Jane around a forkful of icing.  

“Yeah, but unless you want the guys competing to see who can make the biggest cannonball, this is better” replies Maria with Natasha’s head on her shoulder.  Wanda is keeping the cards suspended in the air with her powers while Darcy and Jane build a house of cards.  

“You have to admit, this was actually fun, Maria” points out Victoria as she looks at her over her glasses.  

“Making money that this time I don’t have to explain to Fury?  Yes.  Although the only reason that happened was because Melinda and Nat got into a fight as we were leaving.  I swear five fucking feet from the door and ten from the taxi and they start a brawl.  We had to use our winnings to pay for damages” recalls Maria.  

But as birthdays went, this was a good one.  


	28. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It started as an innocent double date and ended with Tony having to bail them out of jail.
> 
> *Switched it to two separate dates*

It had been an enjoyable evening, Pepper can say that much.  She’d invited Victoria to be her guest to an art gallery and they’d had dinner before hand.  

She was finding Victoria Hand to more fascinating than she had initially guessed.  Although, she wasn’t sure what she had expected from the former Director of the Hub, it hadn’t been the entertaining stories she’d been told over dinner.  With the Avengers in the Tower, Pepper was no stranger to tales of fights and battles won, especially from Rhodey, but Victoria’s stories were different.  She’d been on active duty and on missions, but also had visited a number of places that Pepper had during business.  She told Pepper stories and histories of buildings and other landmarks that they both knew.  It was fun. 

And now they were walking for a bit, before deciding if they would take a taxi back or simply take the time to walk to the bunker where Pepper could get a ride.  With Victoria’s hand in hers, Pepper is trying to work up the courage to kiss Victoria.  Up until now, their kisses had been chaste, and Pepper’s meaning to change that.  Except for the fact that Victoria can be more than a little intimidating.  Granted, as CEO of Stark Industries Pepper was a force herself at times, but with Victoria she still felt nervous at times.  

But she’d managed to pull Victoria to a stop and moved into her space and not even the slight smile Victoria was giving her as she leaned into meet her was going to make her back down.  

And then there was the sound of a cellphone.  

Worse yet, it wasn’t Pepper’s, meaning it couldn’t be ignored since few people had Victoria’s number.  Pepper lets her head fall to Victoria’s shoulder as she groans at the poor timing.  Victoria lets out a sort of humming laugh that Pepper feels through her position against her chest before she answers the call.  Victoria’s arm is around her shoulders though and stroking her arm lightly.  

“Hand.  What?  Yes, wait how do you know where we are?  A what?  Natasha you’re not–!” the rest of her reply is cut off at the sound of bullets and what looks to be a drone from Hammer soaring past them.  “Oh for the love of-” groans Victoria pulling her own weapon as Natasha and Maria come around the corner chasing after it.  

“Nice dress Maria” says Victoria as she and Pepper duck behind a bunch of parked cars for cover.  There’s a chance the drone is shooting stun bolts, but none of them want to find out. Any nearby civilians have already fled and from the sound of it the police are on their way.  

“Shut up.  I just ran eight blocks in heels” complains Maria as she returns fire.  “We were just coming back from our date when we saw this drone and one other come crashing out of the front of one of the Stark Labs buildings.”  

“Lost the other one though” interjects Natasha.  

Of course that’s it’s cue to appear.  

Now Natasha’s back is pressed against Maria’s and is shooting at the one that decided to appear from behind them.  Pepper is hoping Tony has back ups of whatever is on the drives the drones stole since her phone picked up their presence and she’s doing a remote wipe of them.  Victoria shares a look Natasha, who pulls out a taser baton and launches herself towards one of the drones.  Maria manages to take out one drone and it crashes into the street.  And fire hydrant sitting there, resulting in a pillar of water now spurting in the air and sending water all over.  Natasha manages to take the other drone out with little trouble but it comes crashing down onto the windshield of one of the cop cars that had just arrived.  Luckily, the officers were no longer in the vehicle, but they did not look pleased.  Less so when it burst into flame and then exploded.  Victoria had grabbed Pepper and gone to the other side of the car to avoid the blast and the officers had ducked clear, but now they were wet from the hydrant.  

* * *

“At least we have a fund for this sort of thing now” says Tony with a sigh.  He can’t really say anything else since every time he’d tried to go on a date with Pepper, it had resulted in something like the Expo again.  At least this was just a couple of cars and water main.  

Apparently in addition to destruction of public property, Natasha had gotten into a fight with the owner of one of the cars that they’d used as cover.  Tony hadn’t paid the man’s bail and personally hoped the idiot had friends coming to get him because even though she’d been handcuffed, Natasha had given the guy hell.  Well, as much as she could while keeping the charge at assault.  

The guy had coming running to discover his car had been damaged in the fight and had decided to shove and yell at an already handcuffed Maria for it.  Maria wouldn’t have let it get to her, but the shove had her stumbling backwards in the water and into the hydrant.  Which meant she was now soaked, bruised, and still handcuffed and that’s how the fight started.  

Tony says nothing when he drops off Natasha and Victoria at the bunker, Pepper getting in her kiss.  Hey, maybe the night hadn’t been a complete loss for them.  Natasha returns to the car to give Maria towel and kisses her through the window.  

Just a typical Avengers date night.  


	29. Shoulders Are Off Limits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "No, no, no, no. Look at me. You’ll be fine.“ and Victoria Hand.

Shock.  She recognizes that she’s in shock, that’s why she doesn’t feel anything.  She’s been shot before, but this time she saw it coming.  Doesn’t make it any easier though.  

She feels Maria and Pepper dragging her behind cover.  If she were thinking clearly, she’d wonder where Maria came from.  She’s watching her blood stain her shirt.  

“No, no, no, no.  Look at me.  You’ll be fine” says Maria, crouched down in front of her.  

“That an order Commander?” she slurs.  

“If it needs to be” says Maria quickly before ushering the medics over.  Pepper is there too, her hands keeping her upright as well as keeping pressure on her wound.  She really shouldn’t be this close, she’ll get blood all over her dress.  Then they’re loading her into the ambulance.  

* * *

It had happened fast.  Victoria had been asked to shadow Pepper due to a threat that had been made against Stark Industries.  This threat was only deemed serious after a company car was bombed.  Whoever had done it knew the car was empty but it was a warning.  

Maria and Natasha had just gotten word of who and what the next attack would be and had arrived just as the shots were fired.  Maria watched Pepper fall after Victoria pushed her clear, watched Pepper flinch at the blood splatter, and watched Victoria fall.  Natasha was off locating the shooter while Maria and Pepper pulled Victoria behind cover.  Pepper is panicking and trying to stop the blood while she calls for medics.  Pepper follows after the gurney.  

* * *

“She stayed awake right until they had to put her under.  Making sure I had someone else watching me while she was out” says Pepper.  

“That sounds like Vic” admits Maria.  

“Sounds like all you supervisor types” mutters Natasha.  

“This one can hear you” says Victoria groggily.  “Can we issue a notice?  That my shoulders are off limits as of now?  I’ve been shot in both now.”  Pepper helps her sit up and hands her a glass of water.  

“Thank you” starts Pepper, only to have Victoria wave it away.  Pepper rolls her eyes.  

“Was the shooter caught?” asks Victoria.  

“And disposed of” answers Natasha.  Victoria nods and takes another drink of water.  

“What happens now?”  

“Well, you take the time to heal, Pepper keeps a low profile for a while, Tony and Clint are chasing down other leads for now” explains Maria.  She waits.  

“No argument here” says Victoria.  Pepper takes a seat in the chair next to the bed while Maria and Natasha see their way out.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: May give this another shot later. Don’t like this at all….


End file.
